


A Cow Says Moo

by SBG



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Christmas, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-22
Updated: 2012-12-22
Packaged: 2017-11-22 01:07:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/604141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SBG/pseuds/SBG
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve has been lucky to have the gift of his friends in his life over the last two years; this year, he's even more blessed and he wouldn't have it any other way. (Or, Christmas Eve at Steve's house...)</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Cow Says Moo

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [H50 Holiday Swap](http://h50-holidayswap.livejournal.com/) over on LJ and gifted to the community, for reasons. It wouldn't be what it is without the help of [annieke](http://archiveofourown.org/users/annieke) and [LdyAnne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LdyAnne), but it's not their fault. Heh.
> 
> Title inspired by an old toy. [You probably know the one.](http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3384749&prodFindSrc=search) ;)

The fire crackled and popped, the warm orange tones taking over for the sun’s golden rays as it sank below the horizon, aided by the old, colorful string of lights he’d found a couple of years ago and hung on the lanai balcony for the first time this year. The evening was too warm for a fire this size, but Steve had wanted to stoke the flames up. He’d gone and found chestnuts, no small or cheap feat. He could tell by the amused look on Danny’s face that the motivation behind some traditional mainland holiday customs was blatantly obvious. 

He tended the fire without acknowledging his partner’s knowing smile, or Kono’s for that matter. Chin, at least, didn’t give Steve any verbal or nonverbal guff for it as he sat quietly staring into the fire, but that would have projected more comfort if it weren’t obvious to everyone today had been difficult for the guy and tomorrow would be worse. The holidays weren’t always kind to those living through them for the first time without a loved one.

It checked Steve’s own happiness, and he gave up stoking the fire in favor of settling next to Chin on the ground. He bumped his shoulder into Chin’s and was rewarded with a soft bump back. Good, that was good. Steve wasn’t that practiced in lending this kind of support, though he understood loss as well as anyone on the team, maybe a little more. He turned his attention to Chin’s profile, then Danny and Kono across the fire. Actually, as a team they’d each seen their fair share of tragedy, though it was only recently that Steve had started to understand the depths of it for some of them. He studied Danny closely, remembering that day with the dirty bomb coming so close to killing both of them as if it had just happened. He still felt raw from that, and he always would have but now there was more to it.

“You okay?” he asked Chin, eyes flicking away from the man he’d almost lost to focus on the man who’d actually lost someone. “Overall, I mean.”

“Most of the time,” Chin said after a beat, as if he had to consider his answer. He smiled, though it didn’t look anything but sad. “Not always. Some days are harder than others.”

“Yeah. I’ll understand if you need to leave early.”

“Nah, _brah_ , today’s a good one. Really.”

“I’m glad.” Steve leaned closer to Chin. “You’ll let me know if you ever need time, though, right?”

Chin nodded, but Steve didn’t fully believe him. In many ways, he and Chin dealt with loss in the same way. They moved on, kept on, always remained busy to avoid the quiet times which brought with them time to think and hurt. He knew the dangers in this kind of coping mechanism, and that it was likely one day Chin would have what would seem a disproportionate reaction over something minor. To the casual observer, it would be unexpected and shocking. Steve would know what it truly was. He’d seen glimpses of it already, and he was not the only one keeping an eye out for signs. 

“Malia loved Christmas,” Chin said after a moment. He huffed out a small, heartbreaking laugh. “The other day I found a gift for me in the linen closet. It was behind her … personal supplies. I’m sure she figured I’d never find it there. I probably wouldn’t have if … if …”

“Aw, man,” Steve said and clapped Chin on the shoulder. He shot a desperate look over at Danny and Kono. “She was a planner, huh?”

“Yeah.” Chin sniffed, then coughed to try to cover it. “She was that. Made lists, checked them about forty times. She said med school made her that way, but if you knew her father you’d know that’s not entirely true.”

This was the most he had gotten out of Chin about Malia, though Steve knew he had spoken with Danny and Kono at least once each over the last few months. Kono, of course, was the person Chin most turned to. Steve was honored to have finally been included; at the same time he was completely out of his element. He shot another look at Danny who was watching him, eyes dark with understanding. He almost smiled when he saw Danny nudge Kono and gesture vaguely toward him and Chin. He did smile as the pair of them scooted into the chairs flagging either side of him and Chin.

“So, Steve,” Kono said. She poked at the fire with a stick, sending up sparks. “Doris was really okay with you kicking her out for the holidays?” 

“Hey, I didn’t kick her out. Mary invited her. I … might have encouraged her to go,” Steve said with a shrug. “She’ll be back for New Year’s, anyway.”

Mary had invited both Mom and him because her employer-du-jour, Morty, couldn’t travel again so soon after the last trip. Steve had thought about going for about half a second. Mary hadn’t had the same amount of time to get used to the idea of having a mother again, and she’d been so much younger than him when Doris had been taken from … had left them. She could use the time to reconnect, he reasoned. She could connect, period, without knowing some of the things Steve did. He hated the conflict he felt where it came to his mother and wouldn’t wish that on Mary. He was filled with sheer happiness to have Doris back one minute and in the next had this horrible, sneaking suspicion about her motivations, the agenda of hers that he suspected had nothing to do with being a parent again. 

Yeah, part of him had wanted a family Christmas. He hadn’t celebrated at all until he’d gone into the Reserves, at least not in any way a typical American family unit did. Remembering vaguely that the date on the calendar meant it was Christmas didn’t count. With his mom back, and Mary, it would have been his first in twenty years and the lure of that was strong until he realized that wasn’t true. He’d had family for the past two years, and no reason at all to distrust any of the people gathered in his yard.

“ _Mele Kalikimaka_!”

And those just arriving. Before discussion could continue on the ever-awkward topic of Doris, Kamekona wandered through the lanai doors – he probably hadn’t even knocked – wearing a ridiculous shirt with his face with a Santa’s hat and beard poorly Photoshopped on it. Skirting out from behind him was Max. The only one missing from this little gathering now was Catherine and if anyone noticed, no one said anything. 

He and Catherine were still working out how to handle the new dynamic to their relationship, and honestly, it was taking her some time. Not that he could blame her. He hadn’t meant to, but he’d screwed up on some key things for years, long before the latest complication had irrevocably changed what they were. Or at least changed some of their former, more personal interactions.

“What dis?” Kamekona said, pointing to the cast iron skillet sitting on the camping grate and currently roasting the chestnuts.

“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,” Danny sing-songed. “McGarrett’s crazy idea. We had to talk him out of renting a snow machine.”

“That is a blatantly false statement, Daniel,” Steve said, though a snow machine was not a bad idea. So he wanted to recreate some of the things Danny expected from the holidays. So what? That didn’t make him a hopeless case.

“Ah, roasted chestnuts are a fine holiday tradition,” Max said. “Did you know that some historians believe the tradition began because early Christians held the chestnut as a symbol for chastity? That certainly has ties to religion, but not the holiday specifically. Still others say that it dates to sixteenth century Rome, where the nuts were sold on the street.”

“No, Max, I can honestly say I did not know any of that.” Danny reached for a beer, handed one to Max with a smile that could only be called facetious. “As always, you are just chock full of extraneous tidbits of information.”

“I see you feel the need for sarcasm even on such a day as Christmas Eve, Detective Williams.”

Max and Danny verbally jousted for a few minutes, the way they did that made people who didn’t know them think they meant it, while the rest of their little family gathering smiled with fond amusement at their antics. Steve knew on a level Danny would never admit to that his partner enjoyed the hell out of Max’s quirky ripostes. He also knew he wasn’t alone in appreciating the change in mood, happy to see Chin perk up as the evening progressed into the consumption of a few more drinks and burned, truly disgusting chestnuts. 

There was something about Max, and Kamekona, that made everything seem lighter. Perhaps it was because they were _ohana_ , but they weren’t always in everyone’s pockets the way the core team was. Or maybe it was because they were completely goofy. Steve had no idea what Kamekona just said to Danny, but the way his partner’s face lit up in a hugely amused smile and Kamekona’s eyebrows waggled around like very limber caterpillars had him laughing without even knowing the context. Sometimes it was simply impossible not to chuckle, and that … that easy feeling was something this family of his had given him that he hadn’t imagined would ever happen.

He deemed the night an unmitigated success as they ate, drank and made merry as the night descended and the fire became necessary to ward off the slight chill of a salty breeze. They’d done a gift exchange this year and he couldn’t remember whose idea it’d been, but it was a good one. He’d lucked out and drawn Kono, and she seemed pleased with the Emerson SOFCK and calf holster he’d picked out for her. Given her experience with Delano, he had thought the knife might have triggered a negative reaction, but she simply nodded, ran her fingers against it in a soft caress and got it. 

His own gift from Max wasn’t going to be his ultimate takeaway of the evening. The real gift was less tangible than a collection of weird stuffed toys in the shapes of various microbes delivered with a deadpan “you are a difficult person for whom to purchase an appropriate gift, Commander”, and it was so much more integral to his life. These people surrounding him continued to be the best gift he’d ever received.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. This again?” Danny burst out, half laughing and pulling everyone’s attention to him. “Four passes for two on three-hour helicopter tours piloted by you? Shamu, you really, really shouldn’t have.”

“Come on, _bruddah_. It’s something you and your little _keiki_ will really enjoy. Family bonding time, you know?”

“We bond just fine without the near death experiences.” Danny tossed a narrow-eyed look Steve’s way. “If you think I am letting my daughter in a tin can deathtrap flown by you…”

“Okay, okay, it’s like this, see. In order to get my business off the ground, so to speak, I’m gonna need to demonstrate consumer confidence. What better way than a bona fide stamp of approval from Five-0?” Kamekona said, sounding very rational. 

“A better thing to do would be to give up that venture entirely,” Danny said.

“You hurt me, Jersey. You could single-handedly legitimize my new endeavor, help me establish a client base and have a good time yourself. That, my _haole_ friend, is what we in the business world like to call a win-win.”

Danny launched into a hand-waving diatribe, which was as expected as it was amusing. Steve thought about interceding for about half a second, then just reached for another beer, sat back and enjoyed the show. It didn’t take long for Kamekona to start his own hand waving.

“I can see dis boddah you,” Kamekona said. “Good thing that ain’t your real gift. This one is, but you can’t blame a _bruddah_ for trying.”

“You,” Danny said as Kamekona pulled out another package from seemingly nowhere. Appearing mollified, Danny opened the new gift and laughed. 

“Dat’s da kine?”

“Much better, big guy.”

“I know you like to wear the rainbow on your feets. There are some in there for your Gracie too.”

Danny tilted the box so everyone could see it was filled with socks, the weird stripy and polka-dotted ones he’d taken to wearing sometime after losing the ties. As far as tradeoffs, it was one Steve could live with. The wild socks didn’t have the same laden _fuck all you kama’aina, I’m a haole and I like it_ hidden meaning to them. They were Danny’s personality bleeding through for only those who cared to look to see, one of the many gradual changes he’d implemented over the years. Not changes, Steve thought, so much as a relaxation of firmly structured protective walls. It filled him with an odd sensation, thinking about Danny finding some happiness here, with them. With him. 

He smiled fondly when Danny stood up, gave Kamekona a hearty slap on the shoulder and murmured something too low for Steve to hear. Knowing Danny, he’d be on Kamekona’s helicopter one day anyway. There wasn’t much the guy wouldn’t do for the people he cared about, after all, even the ones he pretended not to.

Watching his friends laugh and chat as the exchange gifts were set aside and they eased into a casual, comfortable togetherness, Steve knew without a doubt he’d made the right call having Doris go to Mary’s alone. It wasn’t long after the gifts, though, that Kono made her excuses and ducked out. She pulled Chin with her, citing a hectic family gathering to attend tomorrow and the need for a full night’s rest. Steve knew she was going to have her own Christmas Eve with Adam, but also that Kono would make good on the unspoken promise that Chin would not be alone on Christmas Day, at least not physically. The Kalakaua/Kelly clan would do what they could to give Chin a mental safe space as well. This family of his was a good one, the best.

Two hours and many amusing Kamekona and Max anecdotal stories later, the fire dwindled and the night grew quiet. Danny was somehow curled into a ball and dozing on one of the Adirondack chairs, head resting on the left arm, Max was slightly tipsy and Steve and Kamekona were simply sitting in silence. Steve couldn’t help sneaking looks over at Danny now and again, amused and completely, stupidly attracted to the way his partner’s face lost all hard edges when he slept and the extra softness the dim firelight lent his features.

For a while, not all that long, Steve had lied to himself that it had all started after and as a direct result of the supplemental Williams family Halloween home invasion, that there hadn’t been some underlying thing between them prior to Danny tucking himself into Steve like they’d cuddled on the couch on a regular basis. It wasn’t true, about the cuddling, but more to the point about the underlying thing of theirs. In their partnership they had many things but this was the thing they’d never openly discussed, or even talked about in any vague kind of way but _was_ nonetheless. There had been nothing sudden and new about it, really. If he were going to be blunt, he knew deep down that had circumstances been different, he and Danny would have ended up naked and sweaty and spent very soon after they’d met. 

“Aw, our little friend sure looks angelic when he sleeps,” Kamekona said offhandedly. “Don’t he?”

Steve startled and glanced at Kamekona, but was fairly sure that he saw Danny’s eyebrows scrunch briefly together out of the corner of his eye. It might have been an illusion of low light and a few drinks under his own belt. Danny’s face was as smooth and angelic as Kamekona had described when he gave his partner further scrutiny as if pondering the idea. Kamekona, meantime, watched him. In the end, Steve chose not to acknowledge the inquisitive expression on Kamekona’s face, or the comment. It was not a conversation he was prepared to have at the moment, and he was positive Danny would not appreciate anyone calling him angelic, but Steve was undoubtedly at the top of the list.

“He looks relaxed,” Steve said at last. And hot.

“Relaxed, yeah. That’s what I meant.”

Yes, the pull between him and Danny had been there from the start, pure and primal and basic, Steve was certain about that for himself and any doubts he had about Danny had been lifted. But there had always been a reason to not do anything beyond being overtly affectionate, very friendly friends. At Halloween, all of those reasons still existed and more had been added. Gabby. Catherine. And yet, knowing all of that and knowing what it meant, that night on the couch with Grace and Cath sitting right there was when something that had rattled around in his head for longer than was probably healthy finally stuck in one place and took form he could give a name to and own. Moreover, he had realized he wanted to own it.

He owned it and much more now.

“I believe that it is time to bid good night. Detective Williams looks like he’s already started on some much needed rest, and we should all follow suit,” Max said, stretching his arms out and yawning. “Thank you for the lovely evening, Steve. _Mele Kalikimaka_.”

“ _Mele Kalikimaka_ , Max,” Steve said. When Max wobbled a bit as he stood, Steve reached out. “You okay to drive, man?”

“I got him,” Kamekona said.

Steve walked them through the house to the door, but his thoughts remained on Danny. He blamed it on the season, the hours spent feeling content and happy. It only made sense his thoughts stuck on him and Danny and this thing of theirs that was actually quite a lot more than a thing. The simple fact was that Steve had tried his old high school moves on Cath not once but twice that time back in October, that time that wasn’t truly the start of one thing but the end of another. He’d tried and hadn’t gotten them to work. It had been challenging for him to focus, and then for her to play along. 

Until Grace and Danny had left, that was, and then Catherine had ridden him hard right there on the couch, both of them still mostly clothed. It was a joining that spoke of intense chemistry with something else underlying that, something desperate and base. Despite the rattling and the final acceptance his brain had just then settled into, it had been something of a shock for him to realize that while he’d become hard and wanting under her, it wasn’t Cath’s expert maneuvers that got him that way so much as it was the memory of Danny fitted into his side like he belonged. When he and Catherine were both done and panting to catch their breath, Steve had felt for the first time that maybe he had some home truths to face about their future. 

And Cath, well, she’d already known.

“Ho _brah_ ,” Kamekona whispered with what could only be glee, pausing on the doorstep. “I couldn’t help but notice the absence of that lovely _wahine_ of yours at the festivities tonight. If she’s on the market…”

Steve held up a hand.

“Go home, _bruddah_. Even if she were on the market, she is out of your league,” Steve said, choosing to neither confirm nor deny. 

“Hey, I got moves.”

Steve laughed, shook his head and snicked the door shut behind Kamekona. He leaned against the wall for a moment. The house was dark, save for the diffuse glow of the colored string of bulbs leaking through the lanai doors, but it felt good. Peaceful, like the holidays, none of the heavy energy filling the empty spaces like when Doris was home. It had been a nice night, but he had to admit he was very glad everyone else was gone. He was a man who’d received many gifts over the past several years, great friends and a family of their own little making, but the best gift was still out there, waiting for him on the beach. 

Except when he got to the small stretch of sand, what was left of the fire was a pile of smoldering embers and there wasn’t a soul in sight. There were a limited number of options to consider, so Steve didn’t panic or think about putting together a search party or any one of a number of ridiculous things Danny would insinuate he’d do. He just kicked more sand over the glowing remnants of the fire until it was all the way out, decided to leave the mess of paper and boxes for the night and wandered back into the house to find Danny. They hadn’t made any official plans, but Steve figured they were on the same page with Danny spending the night and welcoming Christmas Day together. 

For as contentious as Danny liked to make it seem they were in their working relationship, he and Danny had found a very easy, usually unspoken rhythm to their private life. Maybe that would change when they decided to go public, but for now Steve wanted to savor the newness of this old thing of theirs. He wanted it to be just him and Danny for a while. Danny was on board with that, as both of them had many reasons for the reluctance to share themselves with the world just yet. So many reasons. The least of which was how he hadn’t meant to leap from sleeping with Cath to sleeping with Danny in a matter of days, but then Danny had nearly tripped a messy bomb and the reminder of life’s fragility had him jumping hard and fast. He’d only realized that he’d done Cath wrong in so many ways over the years, using her for information and her body and even if he hadn’t done so on purpose, he didn’t want to add any more hurt on top of it by openly showing what he’d moved on to so quickly.

But what Steve had with Danny, he wasn’t going to hide it forever and he wasn’t going to shirk from it. That was something he knew about them intrinsically that he had never quite with Catherine, one of the ways he wasn’t fair to her. He didn’t want to think about Cath and how she might be dealing anymore. Not tonight. Maybe that made him a selfish bastard, maybe it made him more honest than he’d been in a long time, and maybe that made him both.

Steve did a quick turn around downstairs, locking the doors and switching off the Christmas lights. Somehow, Danny had managed to sneak upstairs without running into Steve once. He smiled. Steve was learning he wasn’t the ninja after all. He took the stairs two at a time and heard the faucet in the master bath right away. Steve walked quietly through the dark bedroom toward the half-closed bathroom door. They hardly ever stayed here, yet Danny always made himself at home on those off occasions the house was his alone. He nudged the door open wider and watched Danny for a moment, shirt off as he brushed his teeth. 

“Thought you were sleeping,” Steve murmured.

Without a word Danny stretched out a hand with a toothbrush in it, all ready with a dollop of paste on the bristles like he’d been waiting for Steve to join him forever. Maybe he had.

“Faked it. Wanted them gone,” Danny said through a mouthful of foam. “Brush up, McGarrett.”

So Steve took the brush, drew into the room and stood next to Danny at the sink. They brushed their teeth in tandem, then puttered into the bedroom with the scents of campfire and burned chestnuts clinging to their hair and skin. Steve didn’t mind the smell, breathed it in deeply when Danny went from zero to all over him in the span of half a second, shoving him toward the bed until the back of his legs hit the edge of the mattress. It was no secret that Steve had a need for control in many facets of his life, and yet. 

And yet sometimes he wanted to relinquish it to Danny in ways he didn’t usually allow his lovers.

Danny tugged at the hem of his shirt and lifted it with one hand while the other worked open the button of Steve’s jeans. Steve took the hint, stripped his shirt off, then batted Danny’s hands away to peel his own jeans off. He wasn’t surprised when they both managed to ditch their clothes and slide onto the bed in unison, a mess of arms and legs and he didn’t bother holding in the laughter as he stroked Danny’s bare skin and they fumbled around a bit to try to find a comfortable position. Danny laughed too, a bark of a sound that faded quickly when he pressed Steve into the mattress, clambered on top of him and finally, finally kissed him wet and deep.

It had surprised him at first how quiet Danny was in bed most of the time. When Steve had commented about it, curious, Danny had shrugged and mentioned the habit of silence because of small ears in the house. Steve got used to it, though, came to appreciate the scant sounds Danny did make. The wet suction of his kisses, the soft unintelligible murmurs of encouragement, the quick intakes of breath and barely there moans of pleasure. He learned quickly how to react to each, to pull more of those sounds out of Danny. He also learned that his own Navy-grown habits of furtiveness during sex could be easily broken, and that he could ask for things.

“Danny,” he gasped when Danny broke the kiss in favor of trailing his tongue across Steve’s jaw and to that spot right below his left ear. “Please.”

“I know you didn’t actually want a plushy streptococcus for Christmas,” Danny said, then bit into Steve’s neck with care and rocked his hips so their cocks brushed together, clumsy but hard and ready. “Tell me what you want.”

“Fuck. I ….” Steve opened his legs wider, hooked his feet around the back of Danny’s thighs and pulled them close together. “You.”

“Oh, you’ve got me.”

Steve had always found Danny to be a generous person. Not with everyone, not without some serious groundwork having been laid first, but once a person was in that inner Danny sanctum there was little the guy wouldn’t do for him or her. Danny was also incredibly responsive. When Steve sucked in a breath as Danny’s lips skimmed across a nipple, he stopped and added a smooth press of tongue, a gentle nip of teeth. If Steve’s hips bucked slightly when one of Danny’s hands brushed his inner thigh, Danny devoted his fingers to exploring the area and ultimately wrapping around his hard length. As Steve spread his legs further apart, Danny reached for the lube and got a nice, slick glide going with one hand and then eased a finger into him with the other. He loved it like this, Danny steady and unrelenting but tender as he brought Steve to the brink over and over. 

“God, Danny, please,” Steve moaned, not embarrassed all to want it and need it so much he was reduced to begging. 

Danny pulled his fingers free, abandoned Steve’s dick and moved back up to kiss him with fierceness that robbed him of what little breath he had left. Robbed both of them, until the kiss was really more them gasping in each other’s space. Steve let Danny lift his legs, helping as much as he could, until he was open and so vulnerable but he felt no danger. Never with Danny. He gave Danny a half smile as he jerkily rolled on a condom and applied just a little bit more lube. Danny kissed him again, quick with suction that spoke of how talented he was with his mouth.

“Jesus, you’re hot like this,” Danny said after he pulled back and adjusted their positions to something workable, a rare direct commentary. He eased the head of his cock into Steve. “Oh.”

Danny pushed in one slow thrust, careful but sure until he filled Steve completely. He didn’t move, let Steve have this bit of control, the power to say go with word or expression or slight clench of muscle. 

The tickle of the coarse hair against the underside of Steve’s cock had him bucking slightly, and then the room was filled only with their muffled grunts and moans and the strange, wet slap of skin on skin. Steve wrapped his arms around Danny’s back and tried to pull him closer, but Danny was strong and kept the pace where he wanted it. First Danny brutally pounded against Steve’s prostate to get them both tiptoeing at the edge of orgasm, then he mellowed into a series of slight jerks and back to hard and unrelenting again. Steve didn’t think he could take it, heard himself let out a string of loud curses and outright pleaded with Danny. 

“Jesus, fuck, do it, Danny. You have to…”

Danny complied, left hand bracing on the mattress next to Steve’s head and his right pulling with little finesse at Steve’s erection as his thrusts lost rhythm.

Steve came, white bursts of painful pleasure, and his body jerked with orgasm. He vaguely heard Danny’s strained breathing, felt every thrust and despite being limp and half-conscious, knew the exact moment Danny followed him down. He welcomed it when Danny collapsed on him, winced at the odd pull of Danny’s spent cock still inside him as he eased his legs onto the bed. Truthfully, he loved this too, the weight on top of him, the disgusting mess of semen and sweat and the sharp smell of sex in the air. He let himself drift in a haze while he recovered his breath, while they both did. 

“Mmmph,” Danny mumbled against his neck at last. “I know I’ve said it before, but I mean it this time. I think you broke me.”

“You? Me,” Steve said. “Shattered.”

At the end of the day, Steve realized that he’d wasted too much time not seeing what was right in front of him. It wasn’t a mistake he’d make twice and it definitely wasn’t something he was going to give up now. He wriggled under Danny’s weight, moaned a little when Danny withdrew from him and rolled off slightly. He thought … he thought maybe this could be a lot more than really great sex and it terrified him that he’d screw it up in spite of his best intentions. Things in his life had a way of getting screwed.

“We should clean up.” Danny propped himself up on an elbow, slightly shaky. He made a weird face as he reached down to slide the condom off. “I’m not sleeping like this.”

“Shower’s good.”

Danny leaned down for a kiss, then shoved at Steve until he rolled to his side, sat and eased off of the bed. They padded to the bathroom. Danny tossed the condom and Steve turned the shower on. They hopped in together for a perfunctory scrub, neither of them interested in anything more, though Steve was beginning to understand the merits behind showers that lasted more than three minutes. It was one of the things about which Danny insisted on educating him. 

His muscles felt both sore and loosely pliant, used in the best way and relaxed further by the hot water. Steve was half asleep as they toweled off and shuffled back to bed. It seemed counterintuitive to shower and then sleep on sweaty sheets, but he could not muster the strength to care. He crashed onto the mattress, Danny right behind him. 

Steve smiled as Danny grumbled something about it being unnatural for it to be so warm at this time of year, yet snuggled against Steve without hesitation. He turned, casting a leg over Danny’s to pull him closer and ended up brushing their sensitive cocks together. His gave the barest twitch of life.

“Uh uh,” Danny said. “We’ve got Grace tomorrow. Need rest.”

“Mmm,” Steve said. Then it hit him. “Wait, we?”

“Yeah, we, if that’s all right with you.” Danny stroked a hand down Steve’s arm. “Merry Christmas, Steve.”

Steve would have said it back and more, but he was too overcome with the strangest feeling in his chest. It was warm and amazing. He smiled and let it envelope him as he drifted to sleep. 

He came to awareness hours later with a sigh and then a smile. It wasn’t often Danny woke before Steve, but the strong hands stroking against his back and the tickle of wild morning hair against his chin were the biggest clues Danny had indeed beat him this fine Christmas morning. He smelled the faintest hint of mint, scrunched his eyebrows together that Danny had not only woken before him but had brushed his teeth. Mmm, was okay. Steve cracked his eyes open and looked down at Danny, whose skin looked golden and smooth in the morning sunlight, the sheet pooled at the bottom of the bed, leaving both of them exposed. He slipped his left hand around Danny’s back and down to his perfect ass. He couldn’t think of a better way to welcome the day than taking Danny apart bit by bit. 

Danny, though, just chuckled and shifted himself down to nudge his nose against Steve’s ribs. He bit at them and applied more open-mouthed, toothy kisses down until his breath was hot on Steve’s morning hard cock. 

Or that, Steve thought and then thought not much of anything else when moist heat surrounded his cock. He might have let out a hoarse cry and absolutely did snap his hips up into that mouth of Danny’s, the mouth that had such a way about it. Danny’s strong hands clamped against him and held him in place as he increased suction. Steve shoved weakly at Danny to get his attention, moaned when Danny pulled off of him to glance at his face. Danny whined about hand signals, but he understood when Steve motioned and began shifting his position accordingly. Eagerly, even.

Steve curled on his side, one leg up to give better access and Danny scooted until his cock was right there for the taking. Steve didn’t hesitate, licked a stripe on the underside of Danny and then sucked him into his mouth. He loved the feel of Danny’s smooth cock against his tongue, always a tiny bit surprised at just how much. He wanted Danny to come hard and fast, loved it when Danny let loose and fucked into his mouth with almost as much fervor as he’d fucked into him last night. Steve choked a little, but let Danny have his mouth just like he let Danny have everything. He swirled his tongue against Danny, scraped his teeth ever so lightly against the silky length of him, swallowed the beer-bitter semen as Danny came as violently as he’d hoped. He held Danny in his mouth as his cock softened, just for a moment. 

He released Danny when he felt his own orgasm approaching. The hot breath against Steve’s dick, Danny too far gone to keep blowing him, was almost enough. He moaned as Danny fumbled awkwardly, cradled his balls for a moment, ran a finger against his perineum and then up, probed that dry fingertip into him. Steve gave a loud cry as he stiffened into jolts of pleasure. After what seemed like a neverending wave of bliss, he flopped onto his back and tried to regain his breath and all other senses.

Danny scrambled up next to him, Steve’s come all over his chin and neck, but he was grinning like a fool. Steve got his left arm to cooperate and he snaked a hand around the base of Danny’s head and brought him down close, licked at his own bitter come and snuffled a laugh at Danny’s whisper of _so fucking hot_. They did things backwards, ending the morning session with a slow, easy kiss. Yeah, Steve wanted to keep Danny. 

The hazy spell of post-coital relaxation ended abruptly with a clatter from downstairs and a loud, “Oh, shit.”

Steve sat, alarmed. All barely-formed thoughts of a lazy morning in bed vanished. What the hell was … and then he heard a quieter voice say something and he shot a look at the bedroom door, wide open. Not only were his mother and sister home for some unknown reason, but they were making breakfast. And the door was open. 

“Is that …? And do I smell …?” Danny whispered. 

“Yes and, yeah, cinnamon,” Steve said, feeling weak all of a sudden and his voice shook with it. 

“What are they doing here?” Danny’s stomach growled. “To tell you the truth, I could eat, though.”

“I don’t know, Danny.” He swatted his partner. “And, really? Food, right now? I, oh man. This…”

He wasn’t ready for this. Steve sat there, stupid and mute for a minute, staring at the mess of sheets and then at Danny’s rumpled, sexed-out appearance. Jesus, the _door was open_ and his freaking family had been down there long enough to start the once-customary Christmas morning cinnamon french toast. The acoustics of this house alone…

“Hey.” Danny clapped a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “I can sneak out the window if you like. Nothing says Merry Christmas like climbing down a trellis. Can I borrow your truck?”

Steve blinked at how serious Danny looked. It took him a second to see the humor sparkling in his eyes, the rueful grin as Danny ran his hands through his hair to try to tame it. He smiled back, not wanting Danny to think it was about them being together so much as, well, his sex life in general was not something about which he wanted his mom and sister knowing details. Past experience. Mary would cajole and Doris would … just, no. The as-yet-unmentioned fact he was bisexual was just icing on the cake, really. He watched as Danny rolled off the bed and searched for his boxers. Normally, it’d be a tragedy to Steve to lose sight of that naked ass, but right now he was relieved. 

“Jesus, Steve, you look like you’re about to face a firing squad,” Danny said. He sat on the edge of the bed and patted next to him for Steve to join him. 

Steve slid over and swung his legs off the bed, glad for the steady presence and the warmth of their arms and thighs where they touched. He let out a long breath.

“I really can sneak out if that’s what you want.”

“No,” Steve said, sensing the underlying doubt in Danny’s voice. “It’s not … it’s just weird. I’m not exactly used to being open about this part of my life, you know?”

“I can get that.” Danny nodded, then chewed on his lower lip. “It’s Doris, though. Super spy. She probably already figured you out, and figured out you and me are … you know, whatever we are.”

“Not whatever, D.” Steve kissed Danny lightly. “Not even close to whatever.”

Danny’s smile lit up the room brighter than the sun. 

“Maybe it won’t be so bad? A nice Christmas surprise or something.”

“It’ll be something, all right,” Steve said. He headed for the dresser, pulled on some track pants and a tank. He tossed Danny one of his T-shirts and found his pants on the floor. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Okay,” Danny said. He wriggled into the T-shirt and pants, gave one last run of fingers through his hair. “You always have been a rip-the-band-aid-off kind of guy.”

Steve laughed, thankful for the moments of perhaps inappropriate levity Danny kept shooting for. He took another deep breath, and stopped dead at the door. He had wanted to have a plan for this, but with Danny giving him a quick shove from behind, he knew it was going to be okay. Still, the rush of blood in his ears made the descent down the stairs and to the kitchen a relatively surreal experience, like he was under water. 

“Mom? Mare?” Steve greeted, giving a light rap to the kitchen doorframe. “What’re you doing here?”

Mary threw herself at Steve, tightly wrapped her arms around him. He squeezed in return, glad to see her even it was a surprise. 

“Merry Christmas, big brother,” Mary whispered. “And sorry.”

“ _Mele Kalikimaka_.” He rubbed a hand up and down her back. “And you have no idea.”

She would soon enough, he thought.

“Well, you’d think you weren’t happy to have your family home for Christmas,” Doris said as she flipped a piece of bread expertly. She shot Steve a wink and a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. “Should I be hurt?”

“It’s not that.” Steve ran a hand through his hair and casually looked over his shoulder. Danny was only now coming down the stairs. He frowned. “Just didn’t expect you.”

“Morty’s family came for a last minute surprise visit, and he thought maybe we should do the same, what with our history.” Mary traipsed over to the fridge and pulled out the orange and pineapple juices. Her grin was devilish as she moved into the dining room. “Who were we to refuse?”

“Now, breakfast is all set, just like the old days. Where’s Catherine?” Doris finished with the french toast and followed Mary to the table. She leaned to the right as she went and attempted to peer over Steve’s shoulder. She spoke louder. “Catherine, dear, don’t be embarrassed. We already know you’re here.”

“Yeah, it’s not your fault we walked in on the tail end of you boinking my brother,” Mary shouted helpfully. “And this house has thin walls.”

“Classy,” Steve said. “And, um, yeah, actually – ”

“Sorry, I had to, ah, wash something off my fa…” Danny interrupted Steve as he finally decided to make his presence known, then jerked a little as if he were surprised to see Mary and Doris. “Oh. Mary. Mrs. McGarrett.”

Mary, who’d just taken a gulp of juice, choked and spluttered in what was either disbelief or amusement. Steve couldn’t tell which, and didn’t care when she howled about the burn of juice through the nose but through it all grinned in that slightly manic way she had. Steve’s attention was more on Doris, who gaped at Danny, then Steve, and then back at Danny again. He watched her study Danny long and hard, tousled head to bare toes, and her mouth opened and shut. Steve felt his ears getting hot and was sure they were red, but at the same time had a petty stab of gratification at the evidence that no, mother didn’t know all, or best. 

“Yeah, actually,” Steve said again. “There’s this thing I’ve been meaning to tell you.”

“Oh,” Doris said and sat down hard. “This is … Huh.”

“Merry Christmas,” Danny said.

Danny strutted back into the kitchen, grabbed a couple of mugs and filled them with coffee. He returned to Steve’s side, sticking close as if to prop him up if need be, and handed one of the mugs to Steve. He had a small grin on his face, the kind that always made Steve want to kiss it right off him. Maybe not so much at the moment. Danny took a sip of coffee, bumped his elbow into Steve’s forearm. 

“Okay, I know this seems kind of out of the blue for you, and maybe I should go get ready for some time with my daughter today, which, by the way Steve and I were going to do together, since I want my daughter to see me happy and in a committed relationship. But anyway, I'll go. Give you guys time get used to the idea.” Danny smiled cheerfully at Mary, then at Doris. He waggled a hand between him and Steve, like anyone in the room didn’t know what he was talking about. “But before I do, I have a quick question for you, Steve.”

Steve turned to Danny, confused. That surreal, under water feeling was back. “Hmm?” 

Danny shot Doris an inscrutable look and that smile got wider when he looked back at Steve. He seemed far too pleased with himself, as far as Steve was concerned.

“What does a cow say?”

Then Doris squawked and Danny looked like he’d just been given the best Christmas gift in the whole wide world.


End file.
